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Attorney argued for I-40 through Overton - Hanover known as 'one of the best'


Commercial Appeal | Monday, November 14, 2005


It's one of Memphis's best-known court cases, the Overton Park-Interstate 40 controversy -- a decades-long battle that stopped the expressway from being built through the Midtown park.

And it was prominent Memphis lawyer Jay Alan 'Skippy' Hanover, who grew up across the street from the park, arguing on behalf of the state and in favor of building the thoroughfare.

He died at his home Saturday after battling lung cancer. He was 77.

At the time, Hanover argued that the impact of the highway would be minimal. He pointed out that the road would be "depressed" along most of its 4,000-foot length in the park.

Though he was on the losing side of the case decided that year by the U.S. Supreme Court, Hanover's longtime law partner William Walsh said he did a great job with his argument.

"Skip was the perfect person to handle it because he had a legal interest and a personal interest," Walsh said.

"There are two sides to every case, and one side felt that when the road didn't go through it really put a muzzle on the growth of Memphis," he said.

Hanover, who also served in the state legislature from 1956 to 1961, came from a family of prominent lawyers, including his father, David, and uncle Joseph. The latter was pivotal in the women's suffrage movement, leading the legislature when Tennessee lawmakers agreed to give women the right to vote.

Skippy Hanover wouldn't hesitate to take a case that was controversial or a side that was unpopular, including a number of civil rights cases, said another longtime law partner, James Jalenak.

Hanover also mentored young lawyers.

In a time when lawyers are getting more specialized, Hanover was one of the last general practitioners, his colleagues said, able to handle almost any type of case.

He was a top student at Vanderbilt University, where he received his law degree in 1952.

"He was ethical almost to a fault," Jalenak said. "He played by the rules."

And he worked until the end of his life. Four days before his death, Hanover even sent Jalenak an e-mail about a case he was working on.

He was a partner in the firm Harris Shelton Hanover Walsh.

Attorney Charles Newman was one of the lawyers on the other side of the Overton Park case. In other cases, they worked together.

"He was always good to work with whether he was on your side or against you," Newman said. "He was one of the best trial lawyers of his generation."

Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. today at Temple Israel Cemetery. The family asks that donations be made to Temple Israel, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or a charity of the donor's choice.



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